In recent years, LEDs have been used in commercial signage applications, particularly in channel letters in place of neon and other fluorescent lighting. One common construction of LED signage involves mounting at least one LED on a small module that can be attached in a string of such modules into channel letter forms. The string of modules is formed by each module and wires connecting them together, forming a relatively flexible lighted strand of LEDs for use in these applications. Each module must be constructed to withstand and disperse the heat generated by a single LED at it is powered to achieve useful intensity. Channel letter construction typically does not allow for efficient dispersion of heat as the letter forms are typically closed with tight interiors. Therefore, heat dispersion tends to be addressed in the construction of the LED modules by adding or making the modules themselves heat sinks. Heat sinks, however, collect heat and are typically a slow way to dissipate heat. Unfortunately, excess heat tends to lessen LED life and affect intensity, so added heat has a deleterious effect on LED signage.
The present invention is the use of a plurality of smaller, more efficient LEDs, in place of one LED on a module. The smaller LEDs are positioned in a formation called a pixel and the plurality of LEDs together generate the same light intensity with lower energy consumption and heat generation than a single large LED alone. The present invention represents a departure from the prior art in that the pixel formation of the present invention allows for use of smaller LEDs, with their efficiency benefits for lower energy costs, and lower construction cost as heat generation is less of a factor.